Form for tunnels and culverts



June 26,1923. 1.460.165 C. D. M ARTIHUR FORM FOR TUNNELS AND CULVERTSFiled April 15. 1920 2 Shets-Sheet 1 v m Quinn-non? June 26, 1923.1,460,165

* c. D. MOARTHUR' FORM FOR TUNNELS AND CULVERTS Filed April 13 1920 2Sheets-Sheet 2 wlmzss a culvert showing the Fatented June 26, 1923..

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE. v

CHARLES D. MOABTHUR, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO BLAW- KNOXCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

FORM FOR TUNNELS AND CULVERTS.

Application filed April 13, 1920. Serial No. 373,508.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES D. Mo- ARTHUR, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Alle- 5 gheny and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inForms for Tunnels and Culverts,

i of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to an im- 10 proved form for use inconstructing concrete tunnels or culverts and is particularly applicablefor use in places where sectionsof the form are to be colla sed andcarried along by means of suitab e carrier mecha- 16 nism to be erectedin another place with the carrier mechanism constructed so that it maybe utilized to transport other sections of the form while leaving thefirst ones transported in operative position.

One of the objects of this invention is the provision of an apparatus ofthe character specified which can be operated with greater facility thanthose previously employed and which will rigidly support and carry the25 several parts while at the same time more readily permit the collapseof the form structure while it is being transported to another position.

The above, as well as such other objects as may hereinafter appear,-Iobtain by means of a construction which I have illustrated in preferredform in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a transversesection through arts of my invention in end elevation, and Eigure 2 is alongitu- 0 dinal vertical section through my improved apparatus showingmore particularly the carrier mechanism and the arrangement of form suortin truss devices which are em- 0 PP g ployed.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 1, it will be seen that I havetherein shown a transverse section through a culvert, the arch and sidesof which are supported while in process of formation by means of ametallic sheet metal form made of two half truss portions 1 and 2 withsuitable surface plates and having wing sections 50 3 and 4, pivoted tothe half truss portions pry means of the pins at 5 and 6 respectively.he use of the two sections 1 and 2 pivoted together at 7 and provided attheir lower edges with the wing sections 3 and 4, carried 55 by-thepivotal supports 5 and 6, in oonnecmeans for raising and lowering thesaid parts and swinging them into and out of operative position, andalso for supporting them while they are being transported to a newposition forreuse.

Upon the rails 8 and 9 which are mounted on the floor of the tunnel andheld in proper position by the distance pieces 10 and 11, I mount acarrier or traveller comprising a truss or carriage which is providedwith four wheels 12 carried at'the lower ends of the four extensiblevertical legs or supports 13 which in turn carry the frames 14 at theirupper ends, there being provided at each end of the frames 14 a pair oftransversely disposed, screw threaded shafts 15 with actuatlng handles16, which are preferably of a ratchet type, which shafts 15 areconstructed to move the inclined arms 17 toward or away from the centerof the traveller as clearly indicated in Figure 1. The arms 17 arepivotally secured at 18 to the nuts 19 which engage the screw shaft 15and the outer ends of the arms 17 may be held in raised position asshown in Figure 1 by the supporting rods 20 that are hooked into lugs 21carried by the sloping frame 22.

Extending longitudinally along the upper central portion of thetraveller I provide a longitudinal beam 23 at each end of which there isa vertically disposed double threaded jack rod 24 carrying a fork 25 atits upper end. These forks engage a truss member 26 which in turncarries a series of angularly shaped supporting socket pieces 27constructed to engage pins 28 which, being in alinement throughout vthesuccessive adjoining members of the mold, form the pivotal support ofthe two members 1 and 2 of the mold structure.

It will be observed that the turn buckle device at 29 which ispreferably provided with an actuating ratchet handle 30, will serve toraise and lower the truss 26 so as to bring the series of socket pieces27 into engagement on the underside of the pivot pins 28 and thus takethe weight of the form parts when they are to be collapsed or elevatedin position. The turn buckle members 29 with the screws 24 and the truss26 which will term a top truss.

a5 mold members 1 and to ing of As alateral or radial support for theparts of the form 1 and 2, I provide the 81111817,

which are secured to the form members by means of removable pins 31arranged at intervals alon the longitudinal beam mem nber 32, whichlatter is supported at. its ends by the radial arms 17 carried by thehorizontal screws 15. This arrangement of the longitudinal member 32,the radial arms 5 quired and is indicated in its lower position indottedlines in Figure 1. Its movement is accomplished without interference ofany kind from the top truss 26 or other parts of the structure. Thesupporting mechanism comprising the beam 32 and the arms 17, I havedesignated a side truss member.

As a convenient method of securing the requisite vertical adjustment ofthe legs 13 of the carriage I provide a series of adjustment holes 33 inwhich removable pins or bolts may be inserted to hold the parts inad'usted position.

11 order to support the wing members 3 and 4 when they arein collapsedposition as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 1, I provide hanger rods34 constructed to be hooked into stifi'ening flanges on the members 3and 4 and a projecting lug 35 on the In carrying out my invention I'make the carriage composed of the legs 13 and the horizontal members 14of sufiicient length to carry a lurality of form sections the showigure2 indicating three such sections joined at the parts marked 36, the wingmembers 3 and 4 on all three sections being free to swing inwardlybetween the carriage legs 13 into collapsed position when the form 15 tobe carried forward to be erected in a new place.

By making the side truss members composed of the arms 17 and thehorizontal members 32 of greater length'than the carriage structure, Iam enabled to locate the screws 15 on the outer ends of the beams 14which facilitates their operation.

When the form parts are in erected position as shown in full lines inFigure 1, I

hold the wing members 3 and 4 in C1proper relation to the side members 1an 2 by means of angles or straps 37 which are removably attached by theuse of suitable bolts or other conven ent fastening means.

In operating my device it will be seen that, assuming the parts to be inthe position shown in Figure 1, if the pins 31 be removed, the arms 17moved inwardly, and the 'acks 29 operated to lower the parts 25,

05 at t e top of the screws 2A., out of contact with the pins 28, thebraces or beams 11,

arranged as shown in Figure 1, willhold the mold parts in place whilethe traveller or carrier is moved to another position. In this newposition it may be raised again into the position shownin full lines inFigure 1, and secured to a form structure, which can then be brou htdown into the position shown in dotte lines on one side of Figure 1after first swinging the wing sections 3 and 4 inwardlybetween the legs13 and holding them in place by the suspension rods 34. The mainsections. 1 and 2 are brought down by rotating the screws 15 so as todraw the arms 17 inwardly and downwardly toward the center of thestructure thus brin 'ng the parts 35 down into a position in w ich thearms 17 are substantially horizontal, the rods 20 being unhooked to'ermit this lowering of the arms 17.

i he side truss members 17 can move down to the osition indicatedwithoutinterfering with tl ie diagonal bracing 22 or other parts of themechanism because the said side truss members are of greaterlongitudinal dimension than the other parts above the beams 14.

With the form parts supported in the manner just described, thetraveller can then be moved along the tracks 8 and 9 to a new positionin which the operation of the several actuating parts being reversed theform will be erected into the position shown in full lines in Figure 1.

When the form is used in a culvert, the invert 38 is finished first andthe bracing members 10 and 11 placed upon it but when used in a tunnel,the invert is finished last and the bracin is placed as indicated indotted lines in igure 1 at 10' and 11'.

1. A form carrier or traveller for concrete tunnels and the like,comprising in combination a. top truss, a longitudinal side truss, and acarriage for both of said trusses, the side. truss being supported atits ends by means located outside the plane of the ends of the toptruss.

2. A form carrier or traveller for concrete tunnels and the like,comprising in combination a top truss, a longitudinal side truss, and acarriage for both of said trusses, the side truss being supported at itsends b means located outside the plane of the en of the top truss, saidtraveller having supporting means at its ends spaced farther apart thanthe maximum dimension of the form to be carried thereby.

3. A form carrier or traveller for concrete tunnels and the like,comprising in combination a top truss, a longitudinal side truss, and acarriage for both of said trusses, the side truss being su ported at itsends b means located outsi e the plane of the en of the top truss, andmeans at the ends of the side truss for moving the latter toward andaway from the center line of the traveller.

4. A form carrier or traveller for concrete tunnels and the like,comprising in combination a top truss, a longitudinal side truss, and acarriage for both of said trusses, the' side truss being supported atits ends by means located outside the plane of the ends of the toptruss, and means at the endsof the side truss for moving the lattertoward and away from the center line of the traveller, said meanscomprising horizontally disposed screw threaded rods carried at the endsof the carriage frame.

5. A form carrier or traveller for concrete tunnels and the like,comprising in combination a top truss, a longitudinal side truss, and acarriage for both of said trusses, the side truss being supported at itsends by means located outside the plane of the ends of the top truss,and means for adjusting the height of the carriage frame.

6. A form carrier or traveller for concrete tunnels and the like,comprising in combination a top truss, a longitudinal side truss, and acarriage for both of said trusses, the side truss being supported at itsends by means located outside the plane of the ends of the top truss,and means for raising and lowering the top truss.

form carrier or traveller for concrete tunnels and the like, comprisingin combination a top truss, a longitudinal side truss, and a carriagefor both of said trusses, the side "truss being supported at its ends bymeans located outside the plane of the ends of the top truss,

and means for raising and lowering the top truss, said raising and riageframe atpointswithin the ends of the side frame truss;

8. A form carrler or traveller for concrete tunnels and thelike,,comprising in combination a to truss, a'longitudinal side truss,and a carriage for both of said trusses, the side truss being supportedat its ends by means located outside the lane of the ends of the toptruss, the travel er being of sulficient longitudinal dimension tostraddle the mold structur'e.- a

9. A form for constructing concrete tunnels and the like comprising incombination a traveller with a top truss, a side truss, and a carriagecarrying said top truss and side truss, and mold members supported bysaid top truss and side truss and having wing sections" at the lowerends constructed to swing within the ends of the traveller.

10. A form apparatus for concrete tunnels, culverts and the likecomprising a collapsible form, and a traveller therefor havingcollapsing mechanism, said traveller having at least one end extendingbeyond having an inwardly swinging section, and

a traveller for the form of greater length than the swinging section andconstructed to permit the said section to be swung thereinto.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

CHARLES D. MQARTHUR.

